An Unexpected Challenge
by RidingEdward'sVanquish
Summary: Remus got turned into a werewolf. How did it happen? How will he deal with it? Not the official J.K. Rowling version. This is my version which frankly contains more action than her simple explanation. Rated T just in case it gets a little graphic violence
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know J.K. Rowling already cleared up the whole story about Remus' conversion into a werewolf but I started this story before the sixth book ever came out. This is my version of how it happened. Hope you guys like it. Remember, Reviews with chocolate are the best combination in the world. I have vats of chocolate. All I need is the reviews...**

**Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling therefore any character or place that's recognizable doesn't belong to me. **

**Chapter 1**

A hot summer day in the middle of July, Remus Lupin woke up late in the afternoon. He blinked wearily, his amber eyes trying to adjust to the sudden blaze of light emitted from the mid-afternoon sun sinking in through his bedroom window. He changed from his pajamas, battled with his light brown hair trying without much success to keep it from sticking out at odd angles and went down to the kitchen on the lookout for food to feed his churning stomach. The kitchen was empty, but he sat, nonetheless, in the dining room with a huge three-layered sandwich. Just as he took the first bite, his mother came into the dining room drenched in sweat and covered with dirt. She had obviously been weeding the garden.

"Well, good afternoon," said Mrs. Lupin, slightly breathless.

"Hey mum," Remus managed to say in between bites.

"Remus, you know what day it is today? Saturday. And Saturdays mean that the garden must be tended to. If I am correct, I think that is your job. Yet last night you stayed up late, I have no idea why, and you have just woken up. You have been eleven years old for a week now and I thought that since you are growing up you would be more responsible. Apparently I was wrong…"

Mrs. Lupin's voice droned on and on for what seemed years to Remus. He simply stuck to nodding and slowly eating his sandwich so he would have an excuse not to answer his mother's questions. By the time he finished his sandwich his mother had gotten tired of talking and had gone up to the bathroom to shower. Remus went out through the kitchen door into the back yard, jumped the wooden fence that circled his house and landed softly on his neighbors' freshly cut lawn. He walked the short distance that separated him from his neighbors' house and knocked on their back door. His neighbors were friendly people; he had been friends with their son, Mark Dawson, from the first moment they met. They had moved in about a year ago and to be honest, Remus had been quite glad. Being an only son, he didn't get to have much fun on his own. The beautiful Mrs. Dawson was the one to open the door.

"Hello, Remus. Come in. How is your dear mother doing? I heard she was quite sick last week," she said.

"She is feeling much better; she was weeding the garden just this morning," said Remus as he took a step inside.

"That is just marvelous! I think I might drop by and talk to her a bit," Mrs. Dawson said distractedly, but suddenly remembered Remus was still standing next to her and added, "Mark is upstairs in his room, you know the way."

With that she turned on her heel and disappeared through the laundry room door. Remus slowly made his way up the stairs and through the corridor which led him to his friend's room. When he got there he knocked on the door twice and almost instantly heard his friend's voice answer.

"Muuuuuuummmm, I told you I already gave you all of my dirty underwear," screamed Mark from the other side of the door.

"I know, dear. I was just wondering what were you going to wear under your clothes seeing as all of your underwear is dirty," said Remus with a grin on his face.

Mark opened the door to reveal Remus standing on the other side and said, "Hey, you are not my mother."

"I do not want to be your mother. It must be a nightmare having to live with you," Remus said, walking into the room and sitting down on Mark's bed.

"It is not so bad to live with me, even if it is just for a day; I bet you anything that you will even enjoy yourself," said Mark, closing the door and sitting opposite Remus.

"Really? Well I bet you five galleons that living with you is a nightmare."

"Galleons?" asked Mark, completely perplexed, "Don't you mean pounds?"

"Um . . . yes, of course I do," said Remus.

He had completely forgotten that Mark was not a wizard like himself, but just an ordinary person, a muggle. As such, he would have no idea that a gold galleon was the kind of currency wizards used, along with silver sickles and bronze knuts. Remus would have to be more careful about what he said to Mark.

Mark's voice interrupted his thoughts, "All right, you have yourself a bet."

After that Remus went straight to his house in order to try and soften his mother enough for her to let him stay over at Mark's. He knew he was still in trouble for waking up late. As he entered through the kitchen door, he encountered his mother and father calmly eating dinner in the dining room.

"I though you would eat supper at the Dawson's today," said Mr. Lupin as Remus grabbed a plate and started to serve himself dinner.

"Er…no, not today. I wanted to come home to my wonderful, loving parents and share a family dinner. Is that so wrong, beautiful mother?" said Remus, putting a very innocent look on his face and hoping she would fall for it.

Mrs. Lupin released a deep breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and simply said, "Whatever it is you want, the answer is no."

Damn! Why did mothers have to know everything? It was like they could read minds or something. He glanced hopefully at his father and was relieved to see that Mr. Lupin at least was willing to listen to what he had to say.

"Okay, before you say no, hear me out. Well…the thing is… that Mark invited me to stay over and I really want to go. Their house is right next-door and I'll be fine; I'm very responsible."

"Really? Responsible, huh?" said Mrs. Lupin calmly, "You mean as responsible as you were this morning when you woke up early to weed the garden?"

He knew it! There it was; a way to make him feel guilty and know that he didn't really deserve to go. But he had to go or he would loose the bet. He couldn't let that happen. It was time to beg.

"Mum, please! I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll do anything, _anything!_"

"Fine, you can go, but starting tomorrow you will not leave this house for the rest of the holidays. You will only be allowed to go out the first of September when you start your classes at Hogwarts."

Oh, yeah, he had forgotten about Hogwarts. That was the school his dad went to. It was a school that specialized on teaching magic to young wizards and witches in training. His mother didn't go to Hogwarts because she was a normal woman. That was the reason he was a half-blood wizard, half muggle and half wizard. He wasn't even sure he would go to Hogwarts, I mean, his acceptance letter still hadn't arrived and it was barely a little more than a month before school term started.


	2. Chapter 2

Remus went quickly up to his room and grabbed some clothes, pajamas and some normal playing cards his mother had given him, not the exploding ones that wizards played with. He set off at a run to his backyard and over the wooden fence. He didn't want to give his mother the tiniest opportunity to keep him locked up before tomorrow morning. When he arrived at the Dawson's kitchen door, it was Mr. Dawson who opened the door. He never saw much of Mr. Dawson because he was always working, but today he seemed more battered and tired looking than Remus had ever seen him. He quickly climbed the stairs up to Mark's room and when he got there Mark had already changed into his pajamas, so he followed suit. They were both really excited for none of them had had a sleepover before and soon Remus started to feel right at home. They talked, played cards, and Mark even taught Remus how to play video games. Apparently it was very famous among muggle teenagers. Remus went to bed at around two in the morning, partly because Mark was already fast asleep and partly because he was bored. When he was finally falling asleep, or so he thought, for he had been sleeping nearly two hours, he heard a crash downstairs and awoke with a sudden jerk. He woke up Mark and they both went downstairs to check out the source of the crash although they were sure it was nothing because it was quiet now. They walked all over the first floor of the house, their path illuminated by flashlights, but they found nothing. Finally, at around four thirty, they decided to go back to the room, but Remus stayed behind. He had just spotted a door that probably led to a room they hadn't searched.

Bubbling with excitement, he asked Mark, "Where does that door lead to?"

"I think it's some kind of basement," said Mark coming back down the stairs, "I've never actually been down there. My mom says it's off limits."

Out of curiosity both boys placed their ears against the door and what they heard took them by surprise. There was a deep, rushing sound like a mini tornado that sounded horribly like breathing. There was a living thing inside that room, big by the sound of it. They were both flummoxed and finally, curiosity got the best of them and they decided to take a peek. Just a quick look. No one had to know about this. They slowly opened the door. Inside they saw a pair of big, yellow eyes hiding in a dark corner of the room. It looked like a big dog.

"You go in first," said Mark and gave Remus a little push inside.

"It's your house! Why do I have to go first?"

"Um…it's just a dog," said Mark, but even if it was 'just a dog', he was still afraid.

They slowly descended the stairs, trying not to make any sudden moves even though their limbs were shaking. With every step the boys took, the animal intensified its growls, but seemed to quiet down when they reached the bottom step. _Maybe it's friendly, _thought Remus wildly. There was a moment of uncertainty were the animal surveyed the boys hungrily while they gave a lot of thought to the fact that they had been very thick to think it was a good idea going down there.

Suddenly, the animal leaped from the shadows and charged at the two boys. Horrorstruck, the boys stood where they were until Remus regained his senses. He grabbed Mark by the neck of his shirt and started to drag him up the stairs. This was no easy task for Mark was bigger than Remus. Mark seemed to react by this gesture and let out a loud, shrill scream of terror followed by a wave of fear that caused him to dash up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. He managed to reach the door first, but he kept on running without as much as a glance behind him, all thoughts of Remus were now lost. He just wanted to set as much distance as possible from that horrible animal.

Meanwhile, Remus was running up the stairs, but it seemed that the more steps he climbed the farther the door seemed. He looked back to see if the animal was close and accidentally tripped on one of the steps and fell hard on the cement staircase. His knees were bleeding and his nose had broken. He got up shakily and looked up, at the doorway, and saw Mark running through it at top speed. His own best friend seemed to have forgotten him and left him there to die. A fresh wave of panic overcame him and he started to climb up the stairs again. At that same second, the animal gave a huge leap and landed on top of Remus making him fall down again and pinning him to the staircase. Remus started to scream at the top of his lungs, longing for someone to appear and save him, but knew, in the darkest corner of his mind that no one would come. Tears started to flow down his bloodstained face. He felt a searing pain on his left shoulder and hot fluid run down his arm as the animal's strong jaw closed on his shoulder. The animal dragged Remus down the flight of stairs and into the shadows. As the animal finally let go, Remus felt himself going numb. He couldn't think straight, he felt intense pain and cold, his vision was getting blurry. _This can't be happening. . . .I'm too young to die now. . . . Someone, please, save me. . . . , _thought Remus and all of a sudden, everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or a fluffy pink rabbit called Play. He's a boy... **

**Sorry I took so long. Let us continue...**

Remus had fainted.

The animal was looking at Remus hungrily again, silently wondering which part of the young boy it would devour first. It decided on the boy's chest so it sunk its sharp teeth around Remus' middle, preparing to tear off the tender flesh. It gave itself a second to savor the taste of human flesh. This action was what saved Remus' life for the moment.

The sun started to rise, flooding the basement with morning light. The animal realized this and let go of Remus, trying to find a place to hide from the hated sunlight but finding none. The sunlight that came through a small window near the ceiling touched the animal's furry body and it immediately started to change. Great tufts of black hair started to fall off revealing the soft white skin underneath, its claws started to change into hands and feet. Its muzzle shrank back into its face, slowly acquiring the aspect of a human face. The tail disappeared; its pointed ears became round and human. Finally, what was left of the animal was a naked man, sprawled on the floor covered in cold sweat. He lay gasping for air on the floor, Remus' blood starting to dry on his face.

After bolting through the basement doorway, Mark headed upstairs to his parents bedroom. There were so many questions swimming inside his head, each more disturbing than the last. Of all, the one that seemed to worry him the most was: What was a beast like that doing in their basement? He reached many conclusions, although each was as unlikely as the next. By the time he reached his parents' bedroom his head was a mess of incoherent thoughts. He opened the door and ran inside expecting to find both his parents asleep in their bed, but surprised that only his mom was there.

"MOM!!"

Mrs. Dawson awoke with a start and checked the alarm clock on top of the bedside table. It had 6:45 displayed in glowing green numbers.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" asked Mrs. Dawson groggily, "Did you have a bad dream?"

"More like a living nightmare. Where's Dad, Mom? I need him."

Mrs. Dawson seemed to tense as Mark asked her for his dad.

"Er . . . he's on an emergency business trip. He's not here, but maybe I can help you. What is it, son?"

Mark immediately launched into the story of the recent events, including everything that happened down in the basement, but with a sudden wave of dread and horror he realized that he had left Remus behind at the mercy of that monstrous animal. He immediately told his mother what he had just realized with excruciating details but trying not to sound as though he had left Remus behind on purpose. By the time he finished his mother was ghostly pale, drops of cold sweat running down the side of her face, her hands shaking horribly. She looked on the verge of passing out. Mark grew concerned at the sight of his mother. She seemed in a kind of trance. He called out her name various times but it seemed that she did not hear him. She simply stood there without speaking, apparently deep in thought and cold with fear.

_Oh, no! I forgot to lock the door. Now that poor boy is going to be killed. No. . . . I can't let that happen. I must save him before it's too late, _thought Mrs. Dawson.

She looked around the room, moving for the first time, in search for something that might help her face the wild animal in her basement. After a while searching her room she found what she was looking for, a bag that contained her husbands golfing clubs.

_This will have to do. I've wasted too much time already._

She grabbed one for herself, gave one to Mark, threw on her bathrobe and headed out of the room at breakneck speed, Mark trailing at her heels. They both descended the stairs and headed to their left, down the hallway and found to their right the door to the basement ajar at the end of the corridor. When they finally reached the doorframe a most unexpected and bizarre sight met their eyes. The now sunlit room was piled to the ceiling with boxes. Some were intact, others were torn; their contents spilled over the basement floor and equally battered. The cement walls bore deep scratch marks obviously made by powerful deadly claws. In the very center of the room lay the naked man, covered in a feverish sweat and gasping for air. And in the very corner lay Remus, unconscious and bleeding profusely.

Mark and Mrs. Dawson stood frozen on the doorway, taking it all in. Several seconds passed before Mrs. Dawson reacted. She ran down the stairs and kneeled beside the man. She placed the golf club she was holding on the floor beside her, took off her bathrobe and placed it around the man's uncovered body. Then, she went over to where Remus was. A soft gasp of horror escaped her lips at the sight of the boy's multiple wounds and lost of blood. She picked him up with effort and started up the stairs towards the kitchen passing a stunned Mark on her way.

Mark was half-expecting to see the animal chewing the meat off of Remus' bones. Instead he found Remus unconscious, a man who hadn't been there before and the animal was nowhere to be seen. Was this someone's idea of a joke? He descended the stairs gingerly, getting closer to the man with every step. Who was he? And what was he doing in his house? He didn't look very familiar, but Mark couldn't be sure. The man's back was to him. The man had gingerly got to his feet now and was adjusting Mrs. Dawson's bathrobe, making sure nothing remained exposed. He was still swaying dangerously, probably on the verge of falling down, but managed to maintain his balance. Mark was very near him now. He could hear the man's labored breathing and smell the stale sweat from his skin. Mark reached out to touch the man when he turned around and looked Mark dead in the eye.

Mark was in utter shock. He couldn't move. It was as if a barrel of cold water had been thrown over him. He couldn't believe who was standing before him. It wasn't possible. . . .But it was the same brown hair, the same dark eyes. . . . It was him. . . . Without a doubt.

The man standing in front of Mark was none other than his father.

"What. . . .What are you doing here? Mom said . . . ," Mark managed to say weakly.

"Son," said Mr. Dawson in a hoarse whisper, "There are many things we need to discuss, but now I want you to go next-door and tell our neighbors what happened."

A few minutes later a stunned Mark stood at the Lupins' back door knocking loudly. Mrs. Lupin opened the door, annoyance showing on her sleepy face. She wore a pastel colored dressing gown on top of her sleeping garments, a pair of slippers; her dirty blonde hair was tied back in a messy bun. It was obviously done in a hurry. She was a bit taken aback by finding Mark at her door this early; a bit worried too. One look at Mark told her that all was not okay. Her fears were confirmed when Mark told her what was happening just next-door. She looked at the verge of tears, but still called her husband with a firm voice, who was upstairs, still in bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter-y**.

Mr. Lupin had slept uneasily that night and was almost catching a deep sleep when someone knocked hard on their back door. Without opening his eyes he heard his wife get up, rummage around for a while and then go downstairs to answer the door. He wondered vaguely who it was but soon started to fall asleep again. He was dreaming he was having a picnic with his family when someone screamed out his name. He jerked awake when he realized that someone was really calling him. It was his wife. There was something unusual in her tone of voice; it sounded like desperation, fear or maybe sadness. It really didn't matter. The fact remained that it was urgent.

He quickly got out of bed, threw a dressing gown on top of his pajamas and sprinted down the stairs and into the kitchen. There he found a very distraught-looking Mrs. Lupin, although it seemed she was making a great effort to control herself, and a scared-looking Mark.

"What is it?" Mr. Lupin asked, getting really worried.

"Remus is hurt," whispered Mark for Mrs. Lupin wasn't able to utter the words.

Mr. Lupin turned very pale and looked at Mrs. Lupin hopefully. He was almost begging it was just a bad joke or a nightmare. Maybe he was still asleep in his bed and Remus was fine. Mrs. Lupin merely nodded her head in agreement and took hold of Mr. Lupin, trying to help him digest the news.

Mark led them into the kitchen of his house where they found Remus laying on the dining table, covered in blood and wounds, with Mr. and Mrs. Dawson bending over him trying to stop the bleeding. Mr. Dawson looked very sick, like he could collapse at any moment. Mrs. Dawson was very alert and didn't even look up when the Lupins arrived.

Nothing could have prepared the Lupins for what they saw when they entered the Dawson's' kitchen. They had expected a few small bruises, maybe a broken extremity at the most, but this was too much. Their son was in a horrible state. He looked like a lion had him for dinner. He was completely covered in blood. There were two fatal-looking bites, a broken nose and a couple minor bruises.

Mrs. Lupin started to cry hysterically while Mr. Lupin stood transfixed looking at his dying son.

"What happened?" muttered Mr. Lupin weakly.

"We have to get him quick to a hospital or he will bleed to death," said Mrs. Dawson urgently.

"How did he get hurt? You were supposed to take care of him!" Mr. Lupin was starting to get angry. They were supposed to take care of Remus! How could they let this happen?

"Let's concentrate on getting Remus to a hospital. It is a very long story, but you have to understand these are not ordinary wounds. We have to take him to the hospital up in London; quickly," said Mr. Dawson.

"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Lupin.

"These are werewolf bites. I know you may find it hard to believe but . . . ." Mr. Dawson's voice trailed off as he saw the Lupins pale considerably.

This was worse than Mr. Lupin had anticipated. He felt his whole world crash around him as he heard Mr. Dawson utter those horrific words. A werewolf had bitten his son, his only son. He was in complete shock. Nobody seemed to move for a few moments until Mrs. Dawson cast a sideways glance at Remus and realized that the boy needed a hospital immediately or he would not make it through the night. She immediately picked up the phone to dial the local emergency number and have an ambulance pick Remus up. At that movement from Mrs. Dawson, Mr. Lupin reacted and hung up the phone.

"What are you doing?" asked Mrs. Dawson, clearly scandalized at such a behavior, "The boy needs a hospital NOW!"

"What he needs is specialized medical attention. A muggle hospital won't give him that. We need to take him to . . . . Uh . . . . Elsewhere." Mr. Lupin realized he had said too much. The Dawsons wouldn't know about the Wizarding Community. There were many laws and restrictions that protected its secrecy and in his desperation he had broken quite a few of them himself but it didn't matter. These muggles obviously knew at least a little about the magical world, considering that they knew what a werewolf was and that it was more than a character in a muggle horror film.

He took advantage of the stunned silence to pick up the unconscious bleeding Remus and head out the Dawson's back door. He was in a hurry. They had had too many distractions already and it was his son's life on the line.

Mrs. Lupin followed him sobbing quietly all the way. They reached their back door and Mrs. Lupin opened it quickly. The second she entered, she immediately began to search for an object of no use but settled on a spoon lying on the kitchen counter for lack of time. She held out the spoon towards her husband and he took out his wand with great difficulty. He muttered a spell and turned the spoon into a Portkey. He took hold of the spoon and immediately felt as if a hook was pulling him from his middle.

They landed hard on the white tiled floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Mr. Lupin staggered slightly under the sudden weight of his unconscious son. They surveyed quickly the white waiting room of the hospital and sensed the atmosphere grow tense as every eye in the room observed them and the bleeding boy in Mr. Lupin's arms. A young man hurried over to them, wearing the trademark green robes with the St. Mungo's logo stamped on them. He examined Remus briefly and after a short recount of the accident by Remus' parents, he sent Remus to the Intensive Care Unit of the Dangerous Bites Ward. Remus' parents were left to wait in the reception area for hours on end.

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were anxious and preoccupied for their son. It had been hours since they had last seen him, laying on a stretcher, disappearing through the huge, white double-doors that lead to the rest of the hospital. Their heads were filled with horrible ideas and thoughts, each as horrible as the next. Random tears were trickling down Mrs. Lupin's face, while Mr. Lupin had a comforting arm placed around her shoulders. They both had been sitting in silence for the past hours but they were thinking the same thing and they knew it. Several furtive glances between them told them everything the other was thinking and feeling. It was indescribable, what they were feeling. They felt like the worst parents in the world; to think that only the day before their son was a normal eleven year old and now….

The desperation was awful to endure but the uncertainty was overpowering. Would Remus survive; would he be able to live normally from that day forth? Both parents were about to reach a breaking point when they spotted the young healer who had taken Remus away walking towards them. They got up anxiously and started bombarding him with questions. It was a while before the poor healer could get both parents to calm down before speaking.

When he finally managed it, he said, "Well, it was a very difficult process but we managed to stop the bleeding and all of your son's wounds have been bandaged. He is sleeping right now so when you go in to see him please try not to disrupt his slumber."

Both parents quickly agreed to the healer's condition, anxious to see their son again. They followed the healer down a series of corridors which were all white and full of other green robed healers. It was like a maze inside the hospital and soon Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were very grateful they had the healer to lead them or they might have gotten lost and never reach their son. After about ten minutes of walking from one corridor to another, climbing up stairways and glancing at the variety of wards inside the hospital, they reached a door with a sign at the top which read 'Poisoning and Dangerous Animal Bites.' Mr. Lupin's eyes lingered for a moment on the sign before being ushered inside by the healer. The room inside was very dimly lit compared to the hallway outside with all its candles and the reflection of the candlelight on the white walls. Both parents had to take a moment for their eyes to adjust to the sudden change of lighting. Once their eyes adjusted they could see the room more clearly. It was barren except for the two rows of beds, one on each side, littered with moaning patients. They spotted their son in an instant; he was lying motionless in the very last bed at the left-hand corner of the room.

They hurried up to him and it really broke their hearts to see the state their son was in. Remus was ghostly pale, although he looked slightly green, with extremely dark circles under his eyes and was wearing a white patient robe with the St. Mungo's crest on them. His normally wavy brown hair lay lank across his face and white bandages were visible under the neck of his robes. A deep sorrow overcame the Lupins as they took in their son's appearance. Mr. Lupin looked around in order to ask the healer a question about Remus but found that the healer had gone.

'_Maybe he wanted to give us some privacy,'_ he thought glumly.

He looked down at his son and noticed that his wife was crying. He placed a comforting arm around her shoulders but he really didn't know how to comfort her when he was feeling pretty much like she was. It was so frustrating to feel so helpless and powerless. He felt like the worst father in the world, unable to protect his young. Mrs. Lupin was thinking along the same lines as she soon voiced what Mr. Lupin had been thinking.

"What are we going to do now?" she said weakly.

"I….don't know. We'll have to move on. At least Remus is alive," said Mr. Lupin, trying desperately to cling to some small ray of hope.

"What about his future? He probably won't be accepted into Hogwarts now," Mrs. Lupin said, her voice full of emotion.

There it was the very question Mr. Lupin had been asking himself for the past couple of hours.

He took in a deep breath before answering, "We could try asking Dumbledore to consider him, regardless of his _condition_. If he doesn't accept him….well….I guess we could sign Remus up in Muggle School. It's our last chance of him having a good future…."

Mr. Lupin conjured up a pair of chairs so he and his wife could sit down to guard over their son's sleeping form. The seconds ticked by slowly, as if time had been slowed down by someone or something that wished to prolong their suffering. Mrs. Lupin was constantly sniffling, a tear occasionally strolling down her cheek, while Mr. Lupin was lost deep in thought about the current situation.

There were many things that haunted Mr. Lupin. First off, he didn't know what would befall Remus now; the future had become very hazy all of a sudden. His son's chances of getting into Hogwarts were very dim, perhaps non-existent. Even if Remus was accepted into Hogwarts and finished school, he would still be demeaned for what he had become; a werewolf. The more Mr. Lupin thought about it the more frustrated he got. No matter what course of action they could possibly take the end result was the same: Remus would never be accepted into society. He would always be singled out because people were afraid of things they didn't understand. Still, he couldn't really blame them. Mr. Lupin himself was dead scared as well.

Remus' parents stayed there the rest of the day and the whole night. They were growing impatient and worried fro their son hadn't moved at all, not even a single stir. The only proof they had that Remus was still alive was the fact that he was breathing. Mr. Lupin was dead tired and Mrs. Lupin had fallen asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He had wanted to send her home earlier so she could rest a bit but there wasn't anything that could make her move from her son's side. He understood perfectly for he would have done the same thing.

Mr. Lupin had finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep. His head was sagging over his shoulder while the other was occupied with the head of his sleeping wife. Without the awareness of both parents, Remus slowly started to move his fingers. He was gradually regaining consciousness.

Remus was alert to his surroundings; he could hear the light snoring of someone very close to him. He wanted to open his eyes but his eyelids wouldn't budge, they seemed to be made of lead as felt the rest of his body. He slowly managed to open his eyes and look around him but his mind was a mess of images. He couldn't understand where he was or who the people next to his bed were. He felt very scared. Perhaps he had been kidnapped? His instinct told him to scream and that was exactly what he tried to do. A guttural rasping deep in his throat was all he managed to choke out. His throat felt very dry and raw. Also, as he tried to speak a sharp agonizing pain exploded somewhere near his abdomen.

Mr. Lupin woke up with a jolt at hearing a very strange sound eerily close to him. He looked around the room in search of the origin of the noise but couldn't see anything. Mrs. Lupin had woken up because of the sudden movement of her husband but was quite perplexed as to what her husband was looking for.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing, I thought I heard something. Must have been my imagination."

Mrs. Lupin gave a shrug and turned to look at her son. She did a quick inspection and turned her glance towards her husband but something wasn't right. She could have sworn she saw Remus looking at her. It couldn't be; he was still unconscious. She did a double take and confirmed what she had seen earlier. Remus had in fact been looking at her.

She embraced her only son with such force it made Remus groan painfully in bed. Mr. Lupin finally realized where the sound had come from and was relieved to see his son was finally awake. Tears overpowered both parents as the experience of having their son inches from death finally left them. They cried out of joy, relief and gratefulness.

**HE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!! But I guess we all knew that. Read and Review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Remus isn't mine even though I want him so bad.**

A few days later Remus was allowed to go back home. After he had woken up, his recuperation had been exceptional. The healers had managed to heal the huge bites and even though Remus still had some minor aches and pains, they decided to leave him go home. He would be more comfortable there and also his father was pressuring the hospital to leave him go.

Remus was happy to be back home. Since they arrived from the hospital his parents had made him lay in bed even though he whined he'd been in bed long enough. It was true. Remus was tired of sitting in bed all day doing nothing. Hours seemed like years to him. He wanted to go outside and play with Mark now that he felt better. He decided to go downstairs to ask his parents for permission to play with him.

He gingerly got out of bed as there was still an insistent pain on his side. He made his way out of his room and down the stairs until he heard the sound of voices coming from the living room. _Hmmm…mum and dad must be talking over there._ He walked towards the living room yet he heard other voices, voices that didn't belong to either of his parents. Maybe they had visitors. He approached the entrance to the living room cautiously. He wanted to see who was there before interrupting the conversation. He discreetly looked around the corner of the wall and into the room. Inside were his parents speaking to Mark's parents. They all looked very worried about something. What could it be? He decided to stay and find out. It's not like there was anything better to do.

Inside the living room, Mr. Lupin was trying to control his temper. Here were the two people who were responsible for everything that happened to Remus. How could they be so calm about it? More importantly, how did a werewolf get into their house?

"I'm glad to hear Remus is doing better. We were quite worried about his safety and I apologize again for everything that happened," said Mr. Dawson timidly.

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Dawson," said Mrs. Lupin in a tiny voice.

Mr. Lupin, however, wasn't so forgiving.

"You say you're sorry for everything that happened-you should be-but what exactly _did_ happen?"

Mr. Dawson gave a loud sigh and seemed to make up his mind about something. He chose his next words carefully for he feared if he transmitted the wrong message he wouldn't live to tell the tale.

"The story I'm about to tell you might result a bit hard to believe but I assure you it's the truth. Before I start, though, I feel I must emphasize again how truly sorry I am for what happened to Remus. I never meant for this to happen. It was irresponsible from my part and I admit to that," Mr. Dawson took a deep sigh and continued, "A few years ago, I was walking home from work…"

It was a dark night. Mr. Dawson, a few years younger and less gray in his hair, was walking down a lonely London street with only two light posts to light his way. It had been a typical day at work. His boss had made his shift unbearable by making him work extra hard and extra time. And to top it all off, the pay was so low he couldn't afford a decent car. All he had was a broken down piece of junk that left him stranded more than it reached its destination. At that moment it was at the mechanic's shop getting fixed yet again. He really should quit. If it weren't for his little boy, Mark, and his beautiful wife he would have done so. Immersed in his gloomy thoughts, he did not notice the hooded figure behind him.

The man in question had been following him for quite a while now. He stuck to the shadows, waiting for his chance to strike. He was lucky it was dark due to the cloud filled sky. Otherwise, the full moon would cast her light on the street and he would complete his mission in a very nasty manner. It all had to happen at the right moment. Only when he was close to his prey could the moon come out.

Mr. Dawson turned a corner into a narrow alleyway. He had decided to take a shortcut home. He had taken a few steps when he saw a shadow flicker past him. He looked around, suddenly aware. At first he saw nothing, but then a cloud moved in the sky revealing a pale round orb that spread its silver light along the dark alleyway. He looked behind him but saw nothing in the moonlight. He decided his own weariness was causing him to see things so he turned back to continue on his way. Right in front of him was a great, mighty black wolf looking at him with beady yellow eyes. Intense fear gripped at him instantly and didn't want to let go. His brain screamed loudly trying to make his body move but it was hopeless. He was rooted to the ground.

The wolf observed Mr. Dawson hungrily and slowly began closing in, barricading him against the brick wall of the alleyway. He thought of screaming for help but his throat was dry and he couldn't muster a simple whimper of fear. The wolf decided to end the agonizing wait and leap for the kill. As the wolf hurled through the air, Mr. Dawson managed to jump out of the way but the wolf was already on him. The beast had a firm hold on his arm, sinking its teeth deep into it making him howl in pain. He was shocked to hear his own terrified scream. He thrashed pathetically in the alley floor trying to dislodge his arm from the wolf's teeth but it seemed impossible. His left arm bumped against something cold and hard in the littered floor. A metal pole. He grabbed it hastily and started to bang the wolf's head with it. His efforts seemed futile yet the pressure on his bleeding arm was receding. The wolf was letting go.

An earsplitting yowl was heard through the night and Mr. Dawson felt his arm come free from the mighty jaws. His vision was blurry and he was bleeding profusely, his right arm lying limply at his side yet he ran for it. He started running as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him, a growing stitch nagging at his side.

"I made it to my house on the border of consciousness; my wife was terrified when she saw the state I was in. I was in the hospital for two weeks but didn't seem to get better. One day, a strange man visiting one of the patients saw me and realized what had happened to me and told me about the wizard hospital. He said they would be able to treat my wounds there and explain what had happened to me. I was never the same man again. I hope you can understand the reason why I hid this terrible secret. I more than anyone know the suffering that awaits your son and if I had any way to make it up to you and him I would."

The room was silent for a very long while. Mr. Dawson was fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, his wife with a comforting hand on his forearm. Remus was in silent shock sitting on the hallway floor, hidden from view. Mr. Dawson had been bitten by a man who turned into a wolf and now he turned into a wolf and it was only a matter of time before Remus himself turned into one. He was one of them now, a werewolf. That's why his parents had been so reluctant to tell him anything. They knew. Before he realized, he had curled into a ball on the floor, tears streaming down his face.

This was how his mother found him when she couldn't stand the tension inside the living room. She was instantly alarmed at finding her son that way and knelt down beside him. "What's wrong, dear?" she said; fear stricken, "Does something hurt?"

Remus raised his tearstained face and looked at his mom. He tried to tell her what was wrong. He wanted her to comfort him, tell him it wasn't true yet the words kept getting stuck inside his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say it. "Mom…," his voice cracked but he pushed himself to say it, he had to.

"What …am I?"

Mrs. Lupin opened her eyes very wide and stared at her son with wild panic clear in her facial features. Her hands and lower lip were shaking and she was on the verge of tears. She didn't need to say anything. With her reaction it was obvious that what he'd heard was true. She'd just confirmed his worst nightmare. He could bear it no longer. He got up suddenly and ran toward his room, leaving her staring after him.

***gasp* Don't go away, Remus. You know I love you! R&R.**


End file.
